Steelers' Kyle Allen Hints At New Role And Position For Darnell Washington

The Pittsburgh Steelers have wrapped up the first week of training camp 2024, and will prepare for their first padded practice on Tuesday. Several players have made the most of their reps early on, but all eyes continue to be on the Steelers' offense. With Russell Wilson on the sidelines with a calf injury, both Justin Fields and Kyle Allen have been given chances to run the new system.

The Steelers' offense will focus on getting the run game and play-action passing off to a fast start. The tight end room specifically is hoping to bounce back from a rocky 2023 season in which the room posted 62 catches, 536 yards and just two total touchdowns. Injuries were a big reason the room struggled with Pat Freiermuth missing five games, but thus far in camp, all three players from a season ago have done nothing but impress. 

However, with all the changes and additions made to the team this offseason, finding ways to get everyone involved will be the biggest challenge for the offensive staff in training camp. For one Steelers player, an interesting combination could be in play as hinted on by one of his teammates. In an interview following Sunday's practice, Allen teased the possibility that tight end Darnell Washington could find a new role on offense. 

"I mean he's 10 pounds away from being a left tackle, but he's a big dude."

That will certainly fuel the fire for pundits who have called for Washington to be moved to the offensive line permanently. He hasn't been incredinly impressive as a pass-catcher in his short career up to this point.

Washington's size is what helped prompt the Steelers to draft him in the 2023 draft. At 6'7" and 290 pounds, Washington is a massive threat in the red zone as evident from his successful career at the University of Georgia. Washington struggled in his first season in Pittsburgh due to poor offensive performance and coaching, but the hope is that under new Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith, he can find his footing at the NFL level.

Steelers Could Move Washington To Offensive Tackle

It's no secret that the Steelers are looking for more consistency on offense, and that starts on the offensive line. The team has already placed a considerable amount of resources into restructuring the line with the additions of Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick this offseason. However, due to the size and strength of Washington, the Steelers may elect to move Washington into a hybrid role of both a tackle and tight end.

The move would work beneficially for both Washington and the Steelers. For the Steelers, it would provide flexibility to move Washington into a role similar to what Zach Banner once was as an eligible offensive lineman, which would allow him to catch passes through the play-action game and create mismatches in the red zone. Banner was viewed initially as a player who could compete for a starting tackle spot, but following an ACL injury, the Steelers had to scrap their vision of a secret weapon on offense. 

The Steelers may have the ability to relaunch their plan this season with Washington. Pittsburgh and Head Coach Mike Tomlin love players that provide them with versatility, and if Smith is viewed as the long-term future of the offense, Washington's skill set could fit the bill. Washington shares a build to Banner at 6'8" 335 pounds, but due to the weight difference, is more mobile, giving opposing teams one more element to game plan for. 

Plenty of teams employ the versatile lineman, but none have the player with the skill set of Washington. It'll be important for the Black and Gold to nail the simple things prior to employing trickery on offense, but gently adding it in would make the Steelers a more intimidating opponent. As training camp moves along, watch not only for what rookies make their way into first team reps, but how often Washington gets an opportunity to go up against the Steelers better coverage players.

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